Thursday, January 24, 2013

Renowned Painter Allan Chow-The 2013 Artists Series

Allan Chow (born April 22, 1979) is a Malaysian Chinese born landscape
painter who currently resides and owns a studio in the United States.
Allan received his BFA in Illustration from the Kansas City Art
Institute.

Mentored by Illustrators, Allan worked as a freelance
Illustrator and Graphic Designer during his twenties while he
experimented with paint after dark. He spent many hours after work
struggling to find his identity as a Fine Artist. However, his natural
attraction to Impressionism and Abstract Expressionism inspired him to
develop a modern interpretation of landscape paintings with a palette
knife.

Allan's hints of Southeast Asian culture manifests through his
exuberant colors, bold paint strokes and irresistible textures that set
him apart from his peers and made his paintings one of the most
preferred and collected in the country today.

Kansas City ASB Bridge

1)
Allan, when did you
first realize you had the desire to
paint?

During my third year as
an Illustration major, I
was desperately trying to give myself some painting exercises to learn about
color theory. On top of my
Illustration assignments, I remember staying up till 5am every night working on
paintings of my native country, Malaysia.

It was pure Art for Art sake. I didn’t
care if it sold or not. I painted because I wanted to learn how to mix paint. I turned to paintings
by Monet, Van Gogh and Childe Hassam. I learn by borrowing
their impressionistic color palette, style and incorporating them into my paintings. It was a series of
ten paintings. That same
series of paintings got me my first exhibition and also they got me into my
first gallery representation two years later.

Morning View

2)
What inspires you to
begin a painting and what is your methodology?

It is such an emotional and moody
process. I am most
inspired to start a painting right after completing an emotionally draining painting that I spent the last month or two struggling
with. This momentum
happens usually in the middle of preparing a show of 30+ new
paintings. If I plan a
painting from start to
finish, I am less excited
at the end and will most
likely lose interest.

To avoid this,I paint
whenever I feel like an idea is ready and I keep my
drawings very minimal. I
just push paint around until something speaks to me. I work through mistakes and
disappointments but embrace happy accidents and build on one victory at a
time. Eventually, everything will work out.
Tons of texture and layers
of colors for visual
interest ispresent. Most importantly, the final result is appreciated so
much more.

Morning Missouri

3) Bright color and the
palette knife are two signatures of your style. Would you tell our readers more
about that? Oh and I do love your images of the Kansas City area.

Allan painting at the easel at a Charity Event

I was particularly drawn to muted and dark color palettes a
decade ago while I was studying some impressionists’ work. The more I
painted, my natural instincts and
personality gradually
reflect in my work. I am
an optimistic person. I
want my paintings to be bold and filled with energy affecting people positively. This explains the color palette I am using today.

As far as
my style, it is constantly evolving and hard to explain. It really is a work in
progress. It changes when
either a new subject matter or medium presents itself. I have learned to let go and refuse to control
much these days. The more
I let go, the more I discover.

I know I love texture so a palette knife made sense. The
difficulty of controlling paint with a knife forced myself to pay less attention
to details. It really freed my wrists and encouraged myself to work more with my
entire body. The deal
breaker for abandoning a brush was that I didn’t have to wash them
and I no longer have to
smell turpentine.

Rocks at Rodeo Beach III

4)
Are there artists or
others that you admire or consider mentors in your
journey?

Allan in his Studio

Absolutely! I admire Impressionists such as Childe Hassam and Monet the
most. Some of my favorite Artists are John Singer Sargent, Edward Hopper, Aaron Siskind, Franz Kline, Howard Pyle, N.C Wyeth and Andrew Wyeth to
name a few.

One of my
mentors in the past is an Illustrator who paints. He gave me the confidence to
do both. My most recent mentor is a Graphic Designer and Instructor. He is
probably the most giving and committed person I know. They both have different
strengths that I admire a ton. I aspire to be the best I can be as an Artist. At
the same time, it is important to be humble and inspire
others.

Best of Show Winner -Over Majestic Hills

5)
You are a world
renowned artist and have paintings in many important collections. What are some
of the corporate and private collections where your art is
featured?

You are too kind. Some collections that I could think of
are H&R Block,
Kauffman Foundation of
Kansas City, Intercontinental Hotel, BKD; Lewis, Rice and Fingerish Law Firm, the University of Kansas Medical Center; Russell Stover
Candies; and private collections in Kansas City, Seattle, California, Hong Kong
and Malaysia.

Dusk at Broadway

6) I understand you take consignments and have amazing art available.How may readers contact
you who are interested in your art?

7)
Finally what would you
tell the person who feels that creative spark to
paint?

As a hobby, I recommend everyone to try to paint for fun and
be free. I believe as human beings, being creative is innate. Find a
medium that you enjoy and
just have fun.
Professionally, I would advice young Artists to know the difference between
TALENT and SKILL. Talent
isn’t enough to get you
by. The skilled are those
who are willing to
persevere and risk it
all to pursue your passion. Being a skilled Artist will ensure long-term success and personal
fulfillment.

Thank you so much Allan. It has been such a pleasure to include you in The 2013 Artists Series.

Dear Readers and Followers I hope you will visit Allan's website...and come comment on what works of art are your favorites. Allan also does still life paintings as well as his renowned landscapes.

Your support of the art world makes this world and our communities a better place to live!

Beautiful work, Allan, and lovely interview, Karena! I tried the palette knife a little but it's actually pretty difficult, so I am even more impressed by these lovely paintings! I love the color and his list of artists that have inspired him!

Happy Belated New Year Karen :D What a wonderful interview. I love Allan's use of color and his art has an almost illustrative feel to it. I liked the piece "Morning Missouri" and I especially especially love what Allan said at the end about the difference between talent and skill. I whole heartedly agree with him. I read 2 books about talent last year that changed the way I view "talent." An artist who is balanced, level headed and has work ethic. He deserves his success.

Wow these are just stunning. Love the colors! So vibrant and alive. Spoken like a true artist when he said he didn't really care if they sold or not that is was much more about the process and journey in learning....excellent interview!

As someone who has zero talent in this area, I have the greatest respect for artists who follow their calling. So much is involved to learn technique, stay motivated and find the time to do it all. Allan seems aware and focussed on his craft which is why he has had success! Congrats to him.

Allan is one of my favorite artist's. The bold strokes of color just blast off the canvas. I've had the good fortune to see many in person at the Leopold Gallery and I never get enough. GREAT interview Karen!!

How do you always "wow" us with such exceptional artists? I love reading these posts and it's actually giving me an idea of how to interview the artists that we currently represent. I love this and I'm so glad I saw it! thanks for sharing!

Hey .. love this .. I need to ask you an art question but dont want to ask here. Can you go to my business page ... The Rusty Pearl and inbox me .. I have a question on a piece of art that I have .. I thought you might know the answer .. thanks so much .. Sherry @ The Rusty Pearl ... HUGS

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)

Thank you Beautiful Karena, for taking the time to visit my little art piece.Where do you find the time to spread all the love that you do so graciously.My dear friend you were in my prayers that moment, I am praying that you are sheltered in his glorious wings, that blessings are bestowed upon you, and your health is the biggest one restored. Keep walking in faith that through him you will be blessed.

I am adding you to my friends prayers as well.See you and all the beauty you grace, and the joy you bring.XoxoDoré

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About Me

The intention of Karena's Blog is to bring attention to the arts of every genre; bringing inspiration to those who read her features on Artists, Architects, Interior Designers, Jewelry and Fashion Designers, etc. Email her @kalbert1@kc.rr.com She is living in the Kansas City area.

Karena has studied art at both the Johnson County Community College, where we have the renowned Nerman Museum; and at UCSD in La Jolla. She has also taken many additional art classes; recently, Mike Savage, Rebecca Pashia, Robert Quackenbush, Ada Koch and others, as well as individual instruction.She is a member of The Kansas City Artists Coalition.

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Karena's mission is to support the arts in all ways. Featuring Artists, Artisans, Jewelry Designers,Interior Designers, Architects and Entrepreneurs.

Her intention is to support the Arts in every genre; bring joy and inspiration to those who view and acquire her art and that of others. Email her for a complete resume and bio.Living in the Kansas City area. She is a member of The Kansas City Artists Coalition.

Karena has studied art at both the Johnson County Community College, where we have the renowned Nerman Museum; and at UCSD in La Jolla. She has also taken many additional art classes; recently, Mike Savage, Rebecca Pashia, Robert Quackenbush, Ada Koch and others, as well as individual instruction.